If you want to know what AMD is doing for its green campaign, look no further…
AMD looks at four key areas of environmental impact:
1. Facilities design and operations
· AMD is promoting economic development and environmental protection in Austin, TX, building a new campus which will serve as a model for sustainable development. The site will use 100% “green” renewable energy from Austin Energy’s GreenChoice programme
· AMD is seeking LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council for the Lone Star campus
· During the last four years, AMD Saxony has prevented more than 30,000 metric tons of carbon equivalent (MTCE) greenhouse gases from being emitted into the atmosphere
2. Product design
· AMD PowerNow! Extends battery run time of notebook computers by as much as 30 percent. When used in embedded applications such as set top boxes, AMD PowerNow! technology can reduce power consumption by up to 74 percent. AMD PowerNow! technology is a combination of hardware and software that automatically reduces the processor’s voltage and frequency and allows the processor to run at only the voltage and frequency required by the applications in use
· A single desktop computer using Cool’n’Quiet technology can achieve energy savings of 26 to 32 kilowatt hours per year, when compared to comparable Energy Star-compliant PCs that do not support this technology. The EPA has awarded AMD’s Cool‘n’Quiet technology with ENERGY STAR Special Recognition for advancing computer energy efficiency.
· In addition to Cool’n’Quiet technology, the AMD Athlon 64 processor also benefits from other innovations that improve both performance and energy efficiency, including expanded data capacity and quicker application loading, which can improve performance in many applications; HyperTransport™ technology, which reduces system delays and bottlenecks; and Silicon-On-Insulator manufacturing technology, which can lower power requirements
3. Manufacturing and production
· AMD’s Dresden, Germany Fab 36 and Fab 30 wafer fabrication facilities have been designed for ‘sustainable manufacturing’ – combining high productivity with low environmental impact
· Fabs 30 and 36 use natural gas fueled tri-generation technology for electricity, heating, and cooling which is 30 to 45 percent more efficient than conventional systems
· Staring with Fab 30, which began operations in 1999, the Dresden fabs use manufacturing processes that reduce perfluorocompound (PFC) emissions by 95 to 99% compared to typical industry processes used in 1995
· The Dresden Energy Center, a specially designed cogeneration plant, supplies the entire electrical, heating and cooling demands of Fab 30. Cogeneration is a process in which an industrial facility uses its waste energy and fuel to produce heat or electricity.
4. Product performance
Energy Efficient Desk-top Processors
· In February, AMD announced new desktop processors designed for users seeking the ultimate in energy-conscious or high-performance computing. The new energy-efficient 45-watt AMD Athlon™ 64 single-core processors 3500+ and 3800+ can help consumers and businesses save energy and experience significant performance-per-watt benefits
· The new generation of energy efficient AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 dual-core processors are designed for PCs that create less heat and noise, maintain exceptional performance and enable small form factor PCs equally suited for the office, classroom, or living room. Enhancements to AMD64 processors beyond the 65nm transition are expected to continue to boost processor performance and lower power consumption
· AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processors 4000+, 4400+, 4800+ and 5000+ are now available and shipping to OEM and system builder customers
i. 4000+ (2.1Ghz, 2x512KB L2 Cache, 65W)
ii. 4400+ (2.3GHz, 2x512KB L2 Cache, 65W)
iii. 4800+ (2.5GHz, 2x512KB L2 Cache, 65W)
iv. 5000+ (2.6GHz, 2x512KB L2 Cache, 65W)
· These new 65 watt processors are designed to deliver improved performance-per-watt by maintaining the performance of previous 90nm products and reducing power consumption. A new feature benefit to aid in reducing power consumption is C1E. C1 Enhanced (C1E) is an advanced power management feature for dual core processors that can slow select system functions when not in use to reduce overall power consumption.